Did ya know?

50 years ago

September 20, 1955

The Tartan published a story reporting that fraternities were concerned that they had only 168 pledges, significantly fewer than the year before. The Tartan reported that Rush Week was run the same way in ?55 as in ?54, but with ?three date parties instead of two.? It added that, ?This created an even bigger demand for the freshmen women, who are often rushed harder than the men.? It?s no surprise that women were rushed hard.

25 years ago

September 16, 1980

Peer Help Center, a student-run organization, was temporarily suspended. Dean Swank set up a committee to re-examine the needs for Peer Help, reported The Tartan. The Tartan wrote, ?Swank feels that Peer Help was not performing services for which it was orginally formed, such as helping people on ?bad drug trips? and peer counseling.? By 1980, retinal failure due to Day-Glo was more common on campus than bad acid trips.

10 years ago

September 11, 1995

A student composed an editorial about the poor quality of CMU?s toilet paper. He criticized the cheap quality of the paper. He went on to discuss the possible positive effects of switching to a better brand of toilet paper. ?Better toilet paper would prompt students to feel more inclined to use the bathroom. Therefore, the switching of brands could help reduce the general constipation level on campus....? He added, ?With a quality product like Charmin, maybe a fold or two is all that?s needed. The CMU special toilet paper cries out for a minimum of 6- or 7-layering to truly protect the hand.?

5 years ago

September 11, 2000

Rusted Root drummer Jim Donovan had an interview with The Tartan, during which he commented on Britney Spears. ?Someone like Britney Spears, for example, is an entertainer and as long as she is doing what she loves, who am I to denounce that?... Maybe in some tiny town in Idaho, Britney Spears is the one thing that causes someone to do something really important in his life.? The last thing Britney Spears inspired me to do was take birth control. And stay away from guys named Kevin. Ick.

1 year ago

September 7, 2004

First-years were required to pass a class called ?AlcoholEdu.? It was an online course designed to educate college first-years about alcohol and its effects. To pass ?AlcoholEdu? you had to receive a grade of 70 or higher on a post-survey and final exam. Anita Barkin, director of Carnegie Mellon Student Health Services, said, ?A lot of students come in naive to alcohol because it?s never been an issue for them.? After those students saw their grades for the first semester, alcohol became more than an issue. It became a close friend.